Mit über zehn Millionen TikTok-Followern und mehr als zwei Milliarden Streams hat sich Natalie Jane in kürzester Zeit von einer viralen Stimme zu einer der spannendsten neuen Künstlerinnen ihrer Generation entwickelt. Die 21-jährige US-Amerikanerin spricht offen über Selbstzweifel, Internetdruck und den Mut, sich selbst treu zu bleiben – Themen, die auch ihr Debütalbum „the world I didn’t want“ prägen, das am 24. Oktober erscheint. Im Gespräch mit BLONDE erzählt Natalie, wie sie gelernt hat, sich in ihrer Kunst treu zu bleiben – und warum sie Pizza derzeit einfach nicht widerstehen kann.
BLONDE: What are you currently obsessed with? Whether it’s a snack, a TikTok trend, or a song you’ve had on repeat – spill!
Natalie: I’m currently obsessed with pizza. It’s my current hyperfixation. I’m gluten-free, and I’ve recently found a really good gluten-free crust I’m obsessed with. I’ve probably had pizza 3–5 times a week this month.
BLONDE: TikTok helped kickstart your career – what do you love about the platform, and what really annoys you about it?
Natalie: I love that I can share my art with millions of people. It’s so cool that I can hit three buttons and anyone can hear my music for free. I do hate it at times though – not the platform, but certain people who use it. Some people don’t hold back; some comments are so outrageous I have to laugh. But I’ve been blocking a lot of people recently – it’s turning out to be mostly men.
BLONDE: How do you handle the pressure of constantly having to deliver new content?
Natalie: I think it’s the same as anyone at their normal job – every day going to work with an expectation from the boss to get stuff done. In my case, I’m my own boss, and I expect myself each day to deliver my best.
BLONDE: What has been the toughest learning in your career so far?
Natalie: It’s been tough to truly feel like I can’t satisfy everyone – actually, I can’t satisfy most people. That was hard for me to grasp. I don’t like knowing that people don’t like what I create. It makes me want to adjust – but then I’m adjusting for others, not myself, and then I don’t even like what I’ve created. Going through that cycle really made me understand I have to create for myself – and if people love it, then great! And if not, that’s fine too.
BLONDE: Is there one of your songs that means more to you than all the others? Why?
Natalie: 4ever means a lot to me. It’s about leaving home when I really didn’t feel 100% ready and the ultimatum I had with myself – whether to go to college or move to L.A. to do music full-time. I’m glad I decided to move away, though – that’s essentially the whole theme of this album: getting outside of my comfort zone to get away from the world I didn’t want.
BLONDE: If you could slip a note into your younger self’s friendship book, what would it say?
Natalie: It would say: “Keep dressing weird and playing with water balloons – if you’re happy, that’s what matters.”
BLONDE: What would be a dream collab for you – who would you jump into the studio with right away?
Natalie: At first thought, I would want to say Ariana, Demi, or Billie, because they all have such amazing voices and obviously love their music. But I think I would truly want to make something incredible with Labrinth. He’s one of the most creative artists and producers I’ve ever heard, and I admire him so much. It would be such a dream to work with him one day.
BLONDE: Where do you see yourself in five years – more on big festival stages or spending most of your time in the studio?
Natalie: In five years, I hope to be working on my third album.
BLONDE: Your album is dropping this October – what can we expect from it?
Natalie: A big theme of this album is getting outside of your comfort zone, and I also feel like I did that in the writing process. In the past, I’ve mainly written about heartbreak and relationships, and I think I did a good job being more diverse with the topics I wrote about for this album. I’m also doing a lot more upbeat music on this project than in the past – but don’t worry, it’ll still have some classic Natalie Jane sad ballads.
Mit „the world I didn’t want“ wagt Natalie Jane den Schritt aus der Komfortzone – musikalisch wie persönlich. Zwischen kraftvollen Balladen und energiegeladenen Popsongs zeigt sie, dass Verletzlichkeit und Stärke keine Gegensätze sind.
Das Debütalbum erscheint am 24. Oktober – und macht deutlich: Von Natalie Jane werden wir noch einiges hören.
Hier kommt ihr direkt zum Album: The world I didn´t want
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